Urban designer proposes unified agency for drains

A multiplicity of authority is preventing the 350-km network of open drains from being converted into walkways and green spaces,  and checking Yamuna pollution by naturally cleaning the waste flowing in the drains, says a landscape and environmental designer.

“There are a number of civic agencies and utilities which manage the drains and the fragmental approach is behind the little progress on improvement of drains,” said urban designer and environmental design consultancy Manit Rastogi whose suggestions for drain rejuvenation were incorporated in the Delhi Development Authority’s proposal to develop eco-corridors along drains.

It is not the first time that suggestions have been thrown up for redevelopment of drains, as experimented in Pune or in countries like Singapore and South Korea. But Rastogi blamed lack of collective work by all agencies for the negligible improvement on the ground.

“Perhaps, a unified command for drains’ redevelopment is needed,” said Rastogi whose consultancy firm Morphogenesis initiated the talk of drains’ rejuvenation in Delhi administration.

Rastogi first circulated his blueprint for drains’ redevelopment in 2010 but despite the DDA incorporating it in its official documents nothing much has happened on the ground.

“Ecology is not considered as development. We need a shift in the perspective of people about development which revolves only around building flyovers and other infrastructure facilities,” he told Deccan Herald.

Among the proposal is the treatment of sewage with a system of organic reed-beds and aerators before it falls into a drain that carries the waste to the Yamuna.

“This is a well established system and it is both environment-friendly and cheap. This will dramatically improve public health in the city as well as help replenish aquifers. This will also reduce the need to spend large sums on building sewage treatment plants close to the Yamuna,” he said.

“We can create walking and cycling paths on these nullahs to provide commuters with last mile connectivity to public transport (buses and metro). This will significantly improve the effectiveness of the existing public transport,” he said.

Some of the 700 years old drains were built to provide water to Delhi’s old cities. Thus, many of the city’s famous archaeological sites are situated on the drain network.

“Most major cultural venues in the city can be interconnected through this network, including Commonwealth Games venues, historical monuments, museums, theatres and stadiums to create a new walking network to drive next generation tourism,” Rastogi said.